Minister Msaka warns against perpetrators of fire in Viphya Forest

Government has urged Malawi Defence Force (MDF) soldiers who are deployed to guard Viphya Plantation against destruction to be vigilant by dealing with the perpetrators accordingly.

Msaka (left) walking in the plantantion

Minister of Mines, Energy and Natural Resources, Bright Msaka, made the statement Tuesday after touring the plantation, especially areas under the jurisdiction of Total Land Care and Raiply Malawi Limited.

Incidences of fire destroying numerous hectares of trees every year have been a never-ending song for the Viphya Plantation for over a decade now. The plantation is shared by two districts of Mzimba and Nkhata Bay.

However, the issue has raged on in spite of efforts by government and its stakeholders to plant trees and guard them against destruction. Reports have indicated that more often, the fires that destroy the plantation are deliberately set rather than accidental.

The minister said government is aware that some disgruntled workers and individuals whose licences were cancelled are the ones setting fires in the plantation.

“People need to know that this is a national asset, so if the department of forestry has denied somebody a licence for the reasons best known by the department, they are supposed to understand instead of setting fires,” he said.

To mitigate the challenge, Msaka said government deployed MDF soldiers in protected forests across the country as a way of scaring people from destroying the plantations.

In spite of the effort, some people are still setting parts of the Viphya Forest on fire, regardless of the size of trees.

“We have directed the Malawi Defence Force solders to deal with anyone setting bush fires and operating in the forest without licences and that the law will take its course [against them],” he warned.

However, Msaka commended Raiply Malawi Limited and Total Land Care for utilizing the forest sustainably and adding value to the trees from the forest.

“In the past, we have been cutting trees or sawing and selling them abroad at a very cheap price. We behaved like a prodigal son who squandered all what his father gave him.

“We need to be very careful and be proud of what we inherited so that we can benefit from it and pass on those benefits to the next generation,” advised the minister.

“This year alone, we have lost about 526 hectares [of trees] to bush fires, unfortunately, most of these trees are below 15 years old but they are supposed to be harvested at the age of 25. This is dooming our future,” said Oomen.

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2 thoughts on “Minister Msaka warns against perpetrators of fire in Viphya Forest”

Vipya Fire is a deliberate move to cripple Northern Region’s economic footing,it is as bad as the former South Africa’s evil APARTHEID system and Malawi’s obnoxious QUOTA SYSTEM whose intention is to cripple the educational advancement of the Northerners who at present are regarded to be highly educated entity.The fires of Vipya are the facsimile of Chikangawa debacle also to bring the North on its knees economically and politically and not only that,the grandiose Nyika National Park is left to die a natural demise with its stately wild llife.What a shame?

The surrounding communuties have been ignored of their sweit and yet they planted and protected trees. Today it is people from other regions who have benefited from chikangawa. We shall continue not giving a hand to protect but people from Ethiopia and TZ should come.